A melodious and gentle voice belonging to Asme snapped Ramiel out of a deep sleep. The melancholy melody stirred his agitated soul, calming it in the process.
Although he didn't realize it, his wounded soul had become addicted to succubus magic. Without it, his fate would have been sealed long ago.
Asme paused, feeling a certain person move in her lap. Her beautiful voice broke off midway through, and her heart filled with worry sped up.
" Ra - Ramiel? "
Deep as the abyss and cold as a snowstorm, the amethyst eyes opened to reveal their beauty to the world.
The first thing Ramiel saw was the smiling face of a certain succubus. Contrary to what he remembered, Asme was in a terrible mess. Her white hair was tied in a messy ponytail, and there were black bags under her eyes. Previously, her delicate hands that had embraced his face seemed rough from hard work and neglect. However, the worst part was her emaciated face.
Ramiel felt his stomach tighten in grief. He was sure the woman wasn't taking care of herself because of him.
Asme shook off the shock. The corners of her mouth, dry as a desert, lifted slightly to form the most beautiful smile Ramiel had ever seen. His heart beat faster, wanting to feel the woman's warmth.
Snif Snif
Ramiel inhaled more deeply, feeling the tart aroma of chokeberry spread through his body. If he had doubts about whether this was reality, now he was sure of it. Even the most realistic dream couldn't replicate the pleasant smell of the horned beauty.
Ramiel swung his head from side to side, pretending to look around. " I don't see anyone else here... so... I guess I'm the only Ramiel, you know, right? "
Snif Snif
Ramiel felt a few drops of wet liquid fall on his face. Puzzled by how it could rain in a cave, he lifted his gaze upward.
There, he saw something he hadn't expected. Asme's green eyes were shedding tears of happiness, and her lips trembled despite the positive feelings flooding her mind... The horned beauty burst into tears before Ramiel could do anything.
Asme, fearing that what she was seeing was a daydream, pulled Ramiel closer to her, burying his head in her breasts. Her tail wrapped tightly around the man's body, and her arms embraced him tightly and tenderly.
Ramiel remained silent despite the throbbing pain in his right hand. Interrupting such tender moments wasn't among the wisest behaviors, especially when Asme was showing how much she cared about him.
The couple, absorbed in a mystical moment, were stuck in an embrace for an immeasurable amount of time, unconcerned with their surroundings. A passive observer could see how negligible amounts of mana were moving, forming an ethereal bubble around them, slowing down time.
With guilt devouring from within, Ramiel sighed heavily. With his healthy arm, he embraced Asme, stroking her trembling back. His fingers sank into the soft skin of the horned beauty, caressing her. The tender embrace in which the woman caught him expressed more than any words.
Although he had suspicions, Ramiel wasn't quite sure why he felt Asme's chaotic emotions. Uncertainty, fear of leaving, anger, joy, sadness, happiness... It was really hard for Ramiel to make sense of it. Such a contradictory mix made him even more confused.
" Shiiii... It's okay, I'm here with you and not going anywhere. "
Asme pulled her nose, resting her chin on the man's shoulder. " You - you aren't lying? Is it really you ? "
" Mhm... would you let someone else touch your back like that?
Asme shook her head negatively. After a while, a melodious voice caressed Ramiel's ears.
" No... "
One short word was enough to bring an uncontrollable smile to the man's face.
After more than fifteen minutes, Ramiel decided to interrupt. Don't get him wrong, he enjoyed it and enjoyed it a lot, but he had to find out what kind of mess he had caused this time. Judging by the way Asme reacted, it wasn't something simple.
Loosening his firm grip on the horned beauty, Ramiel moved away from her.
For a brief moment, an ugly grimace dawned on Asme's face, which disappeared even faster than it showed itself. Her green eyes stared at Ramiel with concern, as if he was about to shatter into thousands of pieces.
" Ramiel... " Asme couldn't finish. The man interrupted her in the middle of her sentence.
" Before you start, bring Caera. Being in her position, you wouldn't want to sit around and worry, would you? "
" Fine... I'll go get her. " Asme got up reluctantly. Before leaving, she made sure Ramiel wasn't missing anything. When the man threatened to go off in search of the elfess himself, the stubborn succubus relented.
Meanwhile, Ramiel informed Avi of his condition. Despite appearances, he cared more about her than the two women.
' Em... are you there? '
Ramiel immediately regretted the method of contact he had chosen.
' RAMIEL !!! DON'T MOVE !!! ' Avi's loud screech filled Ramiel's mind, giving him a solid headache.
If only I had looked for her in the normal way... Ygh... there's no need to cry over spilled milk. It's not like I can do anything about it," Ramiel thought.
Not even a minute had passed when two figures rushed into the bedroom at lightning speed, throwing themselves into the arms of the weakened Ramiel.
Under the force of the assault of the pointed-eyed beauty and the little fairy, the man fell like a log. Before Ramiel had time to do anything, he felt someone's arms embrace his chest tightly, giving him no opportunity to escape.
Snif Snif
Ramiel's hand stroked the sky-blue strands of Caera's hair. He hadn't noticed it at first, but now that he saw it up close, he felt bad. The hair of the woman who was so proud of it had lost its former luster, becoming pale and dull.
" Liar... " Ramiel froze, hearing the stifled whisper of the elfess.
A disturbing thought entered his mind. - Do they know?
However, he didn't have much time to think about it.
Caera's reaction was similar to Asme's. The elfess cried with happiness for a good half hour. During that time, Ramiel tried to calm her down in every way he knew, but nothing worked. No matter how hard he tried, Caera refused to listen to him, shouting something about how stupid he was.
Ramiel found this charming in its own way but didn't let it show. In his heart, he was glad that his women cared so much about him.
Unlike Asme and Caera, Avi sat quietly on his head. Only occasionally did she play with a loose strand of his hair. She had a lot to tell him, but she waited patiently for the right moment when they would be alone. It wasn't something everyone needed to hear.
When Caera finally calmed down, Ramiel was able to figure out why everyone was reacting... so emotionally.
With an affectionate glance at the standing Asme, he motioned for her to sit next to him. The horned beauty sat down, but she did something Ramiel hadn't expected.
Instead of sitting next to him, Asme placed his head in her lap, tenderly stroking it in the process.
Ramiel didn't mind. He even enjoyed it. Lately, he had rarely had the opportunity to take pleasure in such simple things. He especially enjoyed the prospect of seeing her perky breasts from below. He had VIP seats for an eye-pleasing seance thanks to his skimpy underwear.
" You know... you scared us... " Asme made a worried face. The topic she wanted to bring up wasn't one of the most pleasant, and it evoked conflicting emotions in her.
After a short while, she added. " You were unconscious for a month... we were afraid we wouldn't see you again... " A few lonely tears gathered at the corners of her green eyes. Asme didn't want to show it, but she was damn scared for a man who was trying to end himself at all costs. Although Ramiel will never admit it, his actions speak for themselves.
Ramiel hugged Cera tighter, feeling her body shake in his embrace under Asme's words. The man felt sorry for the women. They didn't deserve what had happened to them. He wanted to spend as much time with them as possible, and because of his stupidity, they had less than two weeks left.
" You don't have to worry so much... it's not like I'm about to die... " Ramiel tried to get out of the situation somehow but was interrupted by Caera's loud shout.
" Liar !!! I hate you !!! " The elfess regretfully shouted into Ramiel's naked torso what was on her heart. Her fists clenched, beating helplessly against her bare chest.
" Why... Why are you lying to us... Why didn't you tell us earlier... " Carea tried to say something else, but hysterical fits of crying prevented her from doing so. The situation, which seemed to be under control, returned to the wrong track again.
Seeing the sad expression on Asme's face, which begged him to deny it, Ramiel sighed heavily. His hand fell inertly on Caera's head, stopping there.
" So you know? " There was no point in pretending to be stupid. If Caera and Asme found out about his condition, it was pointless to continue wading into the web of lies. Ramiel didn't feel good about what he was doing, but he didn't want to see the sad faces of women every day. That's not how he wanted to remember them.
" How much time... how much time do you have left? " The atmosphere after Asme's question became heavy. The tension that was in the air could be felt on his bare skin. You don't have to be an expert to know how badly Ramiel had messed up.
" Not much... at best fourteen days... " Ramiel's words were like jumping from the twentieth floor and meeting the brutal reality when one hoped to fly into the skies. Caera and Asme's faces froze for a moment.
The horned beauty fled with her eyes, not wanting to show weakness. She knew that if she continued this... she wouldn't last. Trying not to burst into tears, she clasped her hands over his face.
Carea raised her hand, trying to slap Ramiel's face, but refrained at the last moment. Instead, she lay on his muscular chest, silently sobbing. Knowing about the death of a loved one and hearing about it from him were two different things.
Ramiel felt like the last trash. He was confirmed in this by Caera's golden eyes, which suddenly lost all will to live. Once... he had seen such eyes... and it pained him.
He knew it wouldn't be easy for them to get back up.
" I'm sorry... I didn't mean for it to look like that... "
~~~~~~
A month earlier.
The condition in which Ramiel was brought to the dungeon was no different from when he lay almost dead. From every possible hole in his body, small trickles of dark blood leaked out. His once handsome face was now all bruised and swollen. His broken arm had turned blue and had doubled in circumference. As if all this wasn't enough, the raging mana was ravaging his internal organs.
Felix, with Darwin, doubled and tripled in an attempt to stabilize Ramiel, but it didn't come easily. As if by a magical curse, the wounds on his body refused to close, and all the healer's spells had the opposite effect. The only thing left for them was to try to stop the bleeding in the standard way.
At the same time, Seraphine was waging her battle, trying to stop the reckless Caera and Asme. The women, seeing Ramiel's hopeless condition, panicked in an attempt to help him by force.
The situation they found themselves in was dangerous. Legions of living corpses controlled by the necromancer surrounded Asme.
" I'll say it one last time, free Caera and let her perform the ritual. You have ten seconds/ Otherwise, I won't vouch for myself. " An enraged Asme howled through clenched teeth. The mana around her vibrated, creating ice creations.
Seraphine looked at the elfess, who was writhing in her iron grip.
Why do I have to deal with children... who can't understand what is being said to them?
The necromancer regretted that she couldn't pacify the rebellion by force. Ramiel's orders were clear. Protect them, but don't hurt them. It couldn't be interpreted any other way.
It wouldn't hurt to try again...
" Child, think logically. If Ramiel hadn't ordered me to protect you, I wouldn't have even moved a finger, seeing this elven girl trying to commit outright suicide. You don't even realize the consequences of the blood ritual. "
" Even if... I still want to do it. Are you able to bear the consequences if he dies? What about your slave oath, then? Shouldn't you protect your master at all costs? "
A resigned Seraphine threw the elfess towards Asme. The necromancer released from her body the suffocating aura of the monarch under which the women knelt.
" Explain to me because I don't understand something. What is the point of sacrificing one's future for someone who will die in two months anyway? I have lived a century, and yet it is beyond my competence. "
" What?!!! Don't lie! " Asme struggled to rise. Her furious gaze burned Seraphine's figure with her eyes. She couldn't, or wouldn't, take in her words.
The flames smoldering in her eyes shone in understanding. " So, Ramiel didn't tell you anything?
" You're lying. Ramiel certainly wouldn't hide something so important from us. " A determined Caera equipped herself with two daggers hidden behind her belt.
When the situation was on the verge of exploding, Avi stepped in between the two opposing sides. With a heavy heart, she looked at Asme and Caera.
" She is right. Ramiel will die soon. "
The fairy's heavy and painful words echoed through the dungeon's throne room.